Creating Produce-Curious Students

Step into the exciting world of SnackTime Explorers, where classroom snack time transforms into a thrilling journey of discovery through new and delicious foods! This extraordinary program has been meticulously crafted with both students and educators in mind.

Designed in collaboration between Pilot Light and FRESHEALTH

Nurturing Curiosity and Healthy Habits

SnackTime Explorers is an innovative program & educational toolkit designed to supplement the USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).

FFVP brings fresh-cut produce to eligible schools, increasing exposure to and familiarity with fresh fruits and vegetables. SnackTime Explorers is curated to accompany the weekly FFVP produce deliveries in a fun and fresh way.

Designed around the Food Education Standards, SnackTime Explorers acts as a guidepost to help students and educators build connections to food, each other, and their communities.

Excite & Inspire Students During Snack Time!

Teachers who participate in SnackTime Explorers receive a user-friendly framework to introduce their students to a wide array of fresh produce, while students enjoy a developmentally appropriate structure that fosters self-awareness and social skills.

This program sparks lifelong healthy eating habits by introducing students to a variety of fresh produce in an engaging way. Fostering a love for nutritious foods from a young age, it sets the stage for healthier choices throughout their lives, cultivating a generation that values the benefits of wholesome eating.

Empowering Educators and Elevating Food Education

At the heart of our mission are the educators who participate in this program, shaping the future of Food Education. Together, we are dedicated to making the Snacktime Explorers Toolkit an engaging and enlightening experience for students not only in Chicago but beyond.

SnackTime Explorers teachers follow a plug-and-play lesson plan structure, with lessons aligning with Pilot Light's Food Education Standards. These seven educational standards define Food Education and provide educators with a framework to support classroom delivery of comprehensive, integrated Food Education lessons.

The SnackTime Explorers teaching materials have been designed with teachers in mind: flexible, easily adaptable, and can be used to complement any FFVP produce! Learn more about FFVP here.

  • "The most exciting part has been students learning about where the fruits & vegetables come from."

    SnackTime Explorers Educator, Chicago Public Schools

  • “At the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, we are working alongside our partners such as Pilot Light to meet the goals of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health and to advance nutrition security. We cannot do this important work alone, but together we can make progress that will change lives and ensure a healthier, more prosperous future for everyone in this country.”

    Dr. Caree Jackson Cotwright, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity for USDA Food and Nutrition Service

  • "Students are sometimes amazed of the snack choice. They had never seen blood oranges and were a bit skeptical at first, but after the first bite, they really enjoyed it....I love to see the students change their thinking after the initial hesitancy."

    SnackTime Explorers Educator, Chicago Public Schools

  • "Students are now mindful of what they say about foods they like or don't like and how what they say will impact others. They frequently remind each other of the impact of their words."

    SnackTime Explorers Educator, Chicago Public Schools

  • "[The] lessons have been beneficial in shifting mindsets and also discussing how different people may have different likes and dislikes and that is okay."

    SnackTime Explorers Educator, Chicago Public Schools

  • SnackTime Explorers has been a refreshing and multifaceted approach to nutrition education for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program at CPS schools. It's exciting, as administrators, to be able to offer a resource that guides our teachers and revitalizes a key aspect of this beloved program, which adds to the educational and social experience of our students. The lessons, aligned with Pilot Light's Food Education Standards, serve as a reminder that food represents daily interconnectedness to our internal and external environments.

    Ariana O. Luster, MS, RD, LDN, School Nutrition Specialist for Chicago Public Schools

Contact

Feel free to contact us with any questions.